Schizopolis (1996)
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59% of critics liked it
(17 reviews) -
78% of users liked it
(4,798 ratings)
After years of making movies in the fringes of the Hollywood system after his debut success sex, lies, and videotape, director Steven Soderbergh made Schizopolis as, in his own words, an artistic "wake-up call to himself." The result is a discombobulated, irreverent, comedic meta-movie, a… More After years of making movies in the fringes of the Hollywood system after his debut success sex, lies, and videotape, director Steven Soderbergh made Schizopolis as, in his own words, an artistic "wake-up call to himself." The result is a discombobulated, irreverent, comedic meta-movie, a cinematic hall of mirrors nearly impossible to describe. Soderbergh wrote, directed, photographed, edited, and even stars in the film as Fletcher Munson, a disillusioned paper-pusher assigned to write a deliberately meaningless speech for T. Azimuth Schwitters, an L. Ron Hubbard-esque self-help guru whose new book Eventualism is a bestseller. His heart isn't in it, however, so he spends most of his time either masturbating in the employee bathroom, avoiding calls from people who want to hire him as a company spy, or listening to the paranoid delusions of his office chum, Nameless Numberhead Man. Intertwined with Munson's attempt to write glib diatribes are numerous asides and subplots. Best of all is the story of Elmo Oxygen: an orange-jumpsuit wearing bug exterminator who appears to be sleeping with several of his customers, including T. Azimuth Schwitters' wife. At one point, Elmo is coerced into leaving Schizopolis, mid-scene, to join another movie. Convoluted and playful as the movie is, there is some method to Soderbergh's madness. The various plot threads, though loosely wound to the core, do in fact lead to some understanding of the disorders, communication problems, and frustrations at the heart of contemporary life. ~ Anthony Reed, Rovi
- Directed By
- Steven Soderbergh
- Written By
- Steven Soderbergh
- Genres
- Art House & International, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Dec 31, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- Criterion Collection
Critic Reviews
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Exasperating as it is, Schizopolis has a deliberateness almost interesting enough to offset its sophomoric streak.
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Schizopolis represents a minor act of self-indulgence on the part of the sometimes eccentric Steven Soderbergh but results in major tedium for the viewer.
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Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
It's fresh, unexpected and goofy. It's not a smart career move, just a film that its director wanted to make for some crazy reason, and he made it.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Though funny and observant at times, it still comes across as a strained juvenile guerilla movie whose bizarre antics never caught fire.
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Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
a filmmaking exercise from someone eager to stretch his legs, do something goofy, and experiment, all of which Soderbergh does without losing his audience
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Steven Soderbergh
as Munson
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Betsy Brantley
as Wife
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Dave Jensen
as Elmo
- Mike Malone
- David Jensen
- Eddie Jemison
- Katherine La Nasa
- Liann Pattison
- Scott Allen
- Silas Cooper
